If you&rsquore contemplating about giving handyman products and services in the condition of California, it&rsquos critical to realize the neighborhood legal guidelines.
In this posting, you&rsquoll study almost everything you need to know about licensing legislation for handymen in California.
I&rsquove poured more than the hundreds of pages of tough-to-recognize lawful jargon and pulled out the significant information and facts you have to have to know.
Do you will need a license to offer you handyman companies in California?
No, there is no handyman license in the state of California. However, just like in most states, there are restrictions on the solutions you can deliver without having getting a contractor&rsquos license.
I&rsquove explained the limitations under in depth.
California Handyman Limitations & Constraints
An unlicensed handyman in California can complete a huge selection of expert services as very long as the project&rsquos full expense is a lot less than $five hundred. That involves labor and materials.
Additionally, you are not able to crack a project up into scaled-down parts to satisfy the $500 limit or even work on aspect of a task that is a lot more than $five hundred.
For illustration, let&rsquos say a purchaser is remodeling their kitchen area and has many subcontractors aiding on the undertaking. You would not be ready to perform any components of that venture even if your complete invoice to the client is beneath $five hundred. So even if all you are carrying out is installing a sink, you can&rsquot legally present that company considering the fact that the complete price tag of the remodel is about $five hundred.
There is also some language in the Lawbook that states that the function carried out will have to be of a &ldquocausal, slight, or inconsequential nature.&rdquo This leaves a huge grey space, with no very clear strains on what that really signifies. For instance, I couldn&rsquot find a description or record of companies that fall underneath this classification. I did, even so, see that asbestos elimination (and other hazardous squander) is one thing you will want to continue to be away from except you are registered to present that provider.
This all may appear to be like a deal-breaker if you are considering of beginning a business enterprise, but California is a somewhat handyman-pleasant point out. For instance, in most states, you should have a contractor&rsquos license to complete any plumbing, electrical, and HVAC responsibilities. But in California, you can do these initiatives without the need of a contractor&rsquos license (as extended as the whole charge is beneath $500, of training course).
That means you can provide many products and services and operate a remarkably rewarding business &ndash devoid of dealing with the headache and cost of having a license. You can correct fences, doors, drywall, dangle TVs, maintenance appliances, put in ceiling fans, maintenance bathrooms, put in gentle fixtures, substitute garbage disposals, and hundreds of other expert services.
Advertising Limits for Unlicensed Contractors in CA
That indicates that even although you can offer numerous expert services as lengthy as they are beneath $five hundred, you ought to make absolutely sure that you are not staying perceived as promotion as a contractor. On an additional aspect of the CSLB internet site, it stated that all unlicensed contractors must mention they are unlicensed on all of their promotion.
So, you&rsquoll want to be thorough how you advertise your expert services. Marketing your self as a &ldquoHandyman&rdquo in all probability isn&rsquot a difficulty. But, if you commence promoting oneself as a drywall installer, a plumber, an electrician, or any other accredited contractor, you are at hazard of a operate-in with the legislation.
LoopHoles
There is just one crucial exception to the $five hundred career limit that is well worth mentioning. In the &ldquoCalifornia Contractors License Regulation and Reference Reserve,&rdquo there are many exemptions to the $five hundred limit. One of them is as follows:
That usually means as lengthy as what ever you are performing on does not come to be a fixed component of the composition, you can do even larger jobs that exceed the $500 limit.
Building and assembling home furniture, hanging pictures, installing particular sorts of shelving, property cleanup, and lots of a lot more careers slide less than this exemption.
So technically, you can do projects that exceed $500 without having a license, just as long as people positions do not become a &ldquofixed component of the composition.&rdquo All over again, additional vague authorized discuss that is open up to interpretation.
What Takes place If You Get Caught Contracting Devoid of a License?
According to the License Regulation Reference Book:
&ldquoContracting with out a license is typically a misdemeanor. Unlicensed contractors facial area a 1st offense sentence of up to six months in jail 4 Area I. THE CALIFORNIA CONTRACTOR LICENSE and/or a $five,000 high-quality, and potential administrative fines of $two hundred to $15,000. Subsequent violations increase felony penalties and fines.&rdquo
It appears like California isn&rsquot just letting individuals get away with this, possibly. They even have a group called SWIFT (Statewide Investigative Fraud Group) that conducts normal sweeps of building web sites, as very well as stings, to catch unlicensed contractors.
Your first violation isn&rsquot that big of a deal, and you&rsquoll almost certainly just get a great (despite the fact that jail time is feasible). But the second offense is far more critical and comes with 90 times in jail minimum.
How to turn out to be a licensed handyman in California?
If you want to tackle jobs more than $five hundred, your ideal bet is to get a license.
To get a license, you need to very first satisfy the pursuing standards:
- Be at the very least 18 decades outdated.
- Have possibly a valid Social Protection range or personal taxpayer identification number.
- Have at least four decades of experience in the previous ten decades as a journeyperson, foreperson, supervising personnel, or contractor in the trade currently being utilized for.
- Be capable to go an exam demonstrating your information.
You could be granted credit history towards the work expertise need if you concluded an apprenticeship application, technological training, or education at an accredited college or if you have military knowledge. On the other hand, you will have to have at least a single calendar year of useful fingers-on expertise as a journeyman or contractor.
If you fulfill the higher than conditions, the up coming phase to turning into a licensed contractor is to:
- Post the subsequent to the CSLB
- Software (can be located here)
- Documentation demonstrating credentials
- $450 application charge.
- Go an examination (or a number of if you are applying for numerous classifications).
- Pay back the $two hundred License payment (if you have met all preceding needs)
Summary
You don&rsquot need to have a contractor&rsquos license to operate a financially rewarding handyman enterprise in California. There are a great deal of minimal repairs and enhancements that you can lawfully conduct even within just the $500 restrict. I&rsquove consulted with numerous unlicensed handymen in California, so I know this to be the situation.
California is also a handyperson-friendly point out that enables unlicensed pros to carry out little plumbing, electrical, and HVAC jobs (in contrast to several other states).
Having said that, if you want to tackle more substantial assignments like kitchen and bath remodels or be a sub-contractor, then obtaining a license is critical. It will price you about $450 and open up up the likely for a lot more revenue.
Do you want a license to be a handyman?
If you prepare to conduct mostly insignificant repairs and basic maintenance as a handyman, it&rsquos not likely that you need to have a license.
A frequent question we get questioned is: does a handyman will need a license in California? You only need a license in California if you plan to perform certain forms of employment that go outside of the scope of small repairs. If your do the job will turn out to be a concluded element of the construction (this kind of as replacing flooring in an full home) and the full for the task exceeds $five hundred, you will have to have a California general contractor license.
What&rsquos the big difference between a handyman and a standard contractor?
Right before we get into the specifics of how to receive a license in California, it&rsquos crucial to explain what it usually means to be a handyman &mdash due to the fact this is going to have an effect on irrespective of whether or not you want a license and what sort of insurance policy you&rsquore likely to have to have. 
A handyman or handywoman is somebody who does modest repair, carpentry or minor servicing careers. Typically these jobs only include a person particular person.
If you function on larger jobs, this kind of as building a deck or wiring a new kitchen, you could be deemed a contractor, and you would require to get the acceptable license and insurance plan protection. Going Here is usually someone who can total a career on their individual. 
So what can a handyman do without having a license? Listed here are some examples to support figure out if the employment you conduct indicate you&rsquore a handyman or a normal contractor.
Handyman vs. Contractor
How to get a handyman license in California
Considering that no California handyman license application exists &mdash as there isn&rsquot a license for this sort of perform &mdash you will have to implement for a California normal contractor license application to the Section of Customer Affairs&rsquo Contractors Condition License Board (CSLB) if your do the job calls for it.two
You&rsquoll need to have to print out and mail your application to the CSLB. look what i found have to post a check out or cash buy for the $450 application price as well. 
Upon approval of your application, you must pass two licensing exams:
- Regulation and company test
- Trade examination
Just after passing the exams, you ought to finish the subsequent methods:
- Fork out a licensing fee of $two hundred
- Post your fingerprints
- Get hold of a bond (additional specifics can be located in the California handyman license bond demands portion)
- Offer evidence of insurance policies (additional details can be uncovered in the What is the certification of insurance plan requirement in California for handymen? area)
California contractor license specifications
To grow to be a accredited contractor in California, you have to be at the very least 18 a long time outdated and have a bare minimum of four several years of encounter as a journeyman, foreman, supervising worker, contractor or owner-builder.
A competent personal with firsthand expertise of your capabilities &mdash these kinds of as an employer, foreman, supervisor, union consultant, engineer or creating inspector &mdash ought to validate your perform encounter.
You may be in a position to count up to three several years of technical training, apprenticeship training or education toward the four-year work practical experience prerequisite.
How extensive does it take to get your contractor license in California?
There is no established time body for contractor licensing, but candidates can assume to hold out several months for the CSLB to process their software. Immediately after completing the overview process, the CSLB will send out you a &ldquoNotice to Seem for Evaluation.&rdquo The CSLB site characteristics a software to verify your software status whilst ready for that discover to get there.
Requirements for California contractor license renewals
You need to renew your California contractor license each two several years. The CSLB will ship a detect about two months in advance of your license expiration day with renewal guidance. You have to spend a $450 renewal rate at this time.
California contractor license reciprocity
The CSLB has reciprocity agreements with the adhering to states:
- Arizona
- Louisiana
- Nevada
- Utah
To qualify for reciprocity, you have to have held an energetic license in fantastic standing in 1 of these states for the past five yrs. If the CSLB determines that you qualify, they will waive the trade exam requirement. You must nevertheless go the legislation and enterprise exam and post verification of your work practical experience.
Bond specifications for California contractor licenses
All California contractor license candidates need to file a $fifteen,000 bond with the CSLB. You must get your bond from a surety firm licensed by the California Office of Insurance coverage.
The bond should contain:
- Your small business name
- Your contractor license number
- The signature of the attorney-in-simple fact for the surety corporation
You have to use a bond kind accredited by the Attorney Standard&rsquos business and assure that it comes at the CSLB in 90 times of the bond&rsquos effective day.
What form of insurance policies does a handyman need in California?
If you obtain a California contractor license, you&rsquoll want to get the correct general contractor insurance to secure your business enterprise. 
If you don&rsquot need a license since you&rsquore only doing smaller sized positions, you ought to have handyman insurance policy. 
The proposed styles of small business insurance policies for a handyman involve:
Workers&rsquo Compensation insurance plan
If you have any staff, you&rsquoll need to have workers&rsquo payment insurance plan. In the occasion of an on-the-occupation injury, this insurance policies helps with misplaced wages, health-related prices and far more.
General Legal responsibility coverage
You&rsquoll want general legal responsibility insurance to deal with 3rd-party bodily harm and accidental assets problems. Most clientele will talk to for proof of this insurance policies. 
Resources and Gear insurance
If damages or theft have an effect on your work gear, tools and products insurance plan can provide repair service and substitution coverage.
Business Auto insurance
Due to the fact handymen typically travel to different job web pages, look at receiving commercial car coverage to include incident-linked expenditures, like towing, repairs and rental reimbursement. 
Business House insurance policy
Business assets insurance coverage provides coverage for destruction or vandalism to a property that you have or hire as well as your work stock and tools.
What is the certificate of coverage requirement in California for handymen?
If you have any workforce, you have to submit a certificate of coverage (COI) for your employees&rsquo compensation protection in purchase to obtain your contractor license. You ought to listing the CSLB as the certificate holder.
The requirement does not use If you&rsquore a accredited contractor who does not have staff members. In this situation, however, you ought to still post a Staff&rsquo Payment Coverage Exemption variety to the CSLB. 
How Up coming Insurance plan supports California handypeople
Next Insurance policy allows you get the suitable handyman coverage or general contractor insurance policies at an very affordable cost. We style custom deals to satisfy licensing needs and guard your enterprise.
You can implement for protection and get a certificate of insurance plan in just minutes by employing our on the net service. This provides you entry to your account from any laptop or computer or cellular unit and makes it easy to share supplemental COIs as wanted at no further price.
We only promote tiny small business coverage, specializing in protection for contractors like you. Irrespective of whether you do smaller employment as a handyman or do much larger employment as a certified contractor, we make absolutely sure you have the suitable coverage to satisfy your exceptional needs.
Get an immediate estimate online currently.
Do you have assignments in yet another U.S. condition? Learn what states demand handyman licenses in our summary of handyman license needs.
Sources
one U.S. Bureau of Labor Data 
two Department of Purchaser Affairs&rsquo Contractors Point out License Board
 
